"Mom is already up and preparing breakfast, so let's be careful not to be discovered by her…"
Hitori cautiously led the way, looking exactly like a hamster sneaking out to forage.
Kitahara followed silently, lowering his voice:
"Auntie has already agreed to my marriage with Hitori, so even if she finds out, there won't be any problem."
Unfortunately, Hitori's sense of shame was too strong; she couldn't handle teasing at all. A simple sentence caused steam to rise from Hitori's head, and her whole body started vibrating, her art style almost distorting.
"Th-th-th-that kind of thing…!"
"No more, no more," Kitahara knew when to stop, extending his right hand to rub Hitori's little head. "The trip is more important."
"…"
Led by Hitori, the two quietly went downstairs, avoided the busy Mrs. Goto in the kitchen, and silently arrived at the garage, where they stored Hitori's Honda Cub in the [Onsen Village].
"Phew…"
Having successfully snuck out, Hitori covered her chest and let out a sigh of relief.
"That was so close just now…"
"It was indeed a bit dangerous," Kitahara nodded. "If Auntie had found out, we would definitely be pressured to marry again."
Hitori: "…"
Socially anxious people are all about contrast. Although Hitori didn't speak, her inner thoughts were always incredibly rich. Hearing Kitahara's complaint, she involuntarily entered a little brain-theater.
The timeline quietly rewound.
As they passed through the living room, this time they couldn't avoid mom and were caught red-handed by Mrs. Goto.
"Eh, Hitori-chan and… Kitahara-kun?"
Mrs. Goto covered her mouth, her eyes wide:
"I didn't expect Hitori to be so bold now, actually daring to bring a boy home to stay overnight without telling mom."
"Although I've agreed to your marriage with Kitahara-kun, you two still need to be careful and not cause any trouble."
"If I become a grandmother now, mom would be very troubled…"
"Futari, come downstairs quickly! We're cooking red bean rice today!"
"…"
Just imagining it in her mind, Hitori was overwhelmed with shame.
(No, don't! Such a shameful thing is too terrifying, absolutely not!)
"Don't space out."
Kitahara gently pinched Hitori's little face and said softly:
"This cycling trip to Kagoshima is planned for one day. Will Auntie find out?"
"No, no problem…"
Hitori came back to her senses, her face red as she quietly replied:
"I told mom I was going into seclusion to create songs, so mom definitely won't disturb me… When I used to practice guitar, I would often stay in my room all day. Only at meal times would mom knock on the door and call me downstairs."
"That's good then," Kitahara nodded slightly. "Hitori, are you ready? If you're ready, we'll depart."
"Mm-hm."
Hitori nodded expectantly:
"I'm ready."
Kitahara smiled:
"Let's go, on a date."
"…"
Hitori's little face quickly flushed red, but this time, unusually, she didn't deny it with a guilty conscience.
(Going to the never-before-seen southern country with Kitahara-kun, then traveling on a little motorcycle… If this isn't a date, then what is?)
There was no need to say more about what happened next.
Kitahara first went to the [Onsen Village], took out a full-length mirror, summoned Hana Hana, and then had Hana lead them through the mirror for a quick trip directly to Kagoshima.
Places they had visited once were recorded by Hana as coordinates, making subsequent trips exceptionally easy.
A moment later.
Kitahara, holding Hitori's hand, appeared in an empty bathroom.
"Yes, this is it."
Kitahara looked around, confirmed they had arrived at a cold drink shop in Kagoshima, and simply took out a small cake to give to Hana as payment.
After receiving the small cake, Hana's eyes lit up, and she happily went back through the mirror to watch TV.
From Tokyo to Kagoshima, a journey of over a thousand kilometers, even by plane it would take three hours. Now, they arrived in less than a minute, and the entire trip only cost one small cake as payment. It could only be said that fast travel was truly divine.
"Hitori, let's go."
Kitahara, holding Hitori's hand, stepped out of the bathroom.
It wasn't even nine in the morning yet, so there were naturally no customers in the cold drink shop, only two staff members in uniform cleaning. When they saw Kitahara walk out with Hitori, they were both dumbfounded.
"Good morning."
Kitahara smiled and nodded.
"Good… morning…"
A part-time girl subconsciously responded.
As for Hitori, her social anxiety triggered again. She hid behind Kitahara with her head bowed low, not daring to look up at anyone.
It wasn't until Kitahara swaggered out of the cold drink shop that the two part-time girls came back to their senses.
"Strange, did you see any customers come in just now?"
"Didn't see anyone at all."
"Could those two be bad people?"
"That boy is super handsome, how could he be a bad person?"
"You're right…"
"…"
"Hitori, you can lift your head now."
Kitahara stopped walking.
"Ah…"
The ahoge on top of Hitori's head trembled slightly. Hearing the reminder, she cautiously lifted her head, and then felt the whole world suddenly become vibrant.
Above them was a clear blue sky, neat coconut trees lined both sides of the road, the slightly tipsy sea breeze was cool and pleasant, and looking into the distance, one could even see the distant dark mountains.
"Welcome to the southernmost Kagoshima."
Kitahara spread his arms, embracing the sea breeze:
"I said I'd go motorcycling with Hitori, and I didn't break my promise, did I?"
"…"
Hitori slowly came back to her senses, turned to look at Kitahara, and stammered with a red face:
"Th-thank you, Kitahara-kun…"
"When you thank someone, you should show sincerity," Kitahara said in a low voice. "Like giving me five onsen vouchers."
"Five, five is too many…"
Hitori's face was burning, and she quickly shook her head.
Kitahara mused: "Then four, no less than that."
Hitori negotiated shyly:
"Three, three…"
Kitahara smiled:
"Then three onsen vouchers. It's a deal, no backing out."
Hitori: "…"
"Let's go," Kitahara gently rubbed Hitori's little head and said softly, "First, let's find an uninhabited place to take the little motorcycle out of the [Onsen Village]."
"Mm-hm."
Hitori quickly nodded, then followed behind Kitahara, her steps light as she walked towards a secluded alley not far away.
A moment later.
Kitahara and Hitori pushed the little motorcycle out of the alley.
"By the way, Hitori, you haven't been to Kagoshima before, have you?"
Kitahara asked softly.
"No…"
Hitori shook her head.
Kitahara suddenly became curious:
"What's the furthest you've ever been, Hitori?"
The ahoge on top of Hitori's head trembled slightly, and she stammered in a small voice:
"The c-countryside…"
Kitahara asked, puzzled:
"What do you mean by countryside?"
"Grandma and Grandpa live in the countryside…" Hitori looked down at her toes, her voice like a mosquito's hum. "It's right next to Tokyo."
Kitahara was curious: "You should have had school trips in middle school, right? Why haven't you left Tokyo?"
"Um… that, that, that…"
Hitori stammered, her gaze drifting, and she visibly became guilty.
"Hurry up and tell me," Kitahara became even more curious. "Otherwise, I'll kiss you right now."
"N-no, don't!" Hitori quickly raised her hand to cover her lips, full of guilt. "On the eve of the middle school trip, I, I accidentally caught a cold… So I took leave and didn't go…"
Kitahara: "…"
You didn't accidentally catch a cold; you deliberately took a cold bath, practically hoping to get sick!
For socially anxious people, group activities are, of course, to be avoided at all costs.
"Since Hitori doesn't like school trips, then we'll travel alone," Kitahara extended his right hand, gently rubbed Hitori's little head, and said softly, "Kagoshima is just the first stop. Later, we'll slowly unlock a round-the-world cycling trip."
"Round, round the world…?"
Hitori slightly tilted her small face upwards, feeling her current mood was quite subtle.
Before meeting Kitahara, Hitori thought of herself as a mouse hiding in a dark burrow, afraid to go out, her greatest wish being to stay home her entire life, only daring to sneak out to forage when the night was quiet.
But now, she, who used to be afraid to go out, hearing Kitahara talk about traveling around the world in the future, not only wasn't trembling with fear, but instead, she involuntarily began to look forward to it.
(Why am I not scared at all anymore…? Have I grown?)
Hitori quietly covered her chest with her right hand.
"Hitori, put on your helmet. We're about to set off."
Kitahara reminded her.
"Mhm, mhm."
Hitori quickly put on her helmet, looking at Kitahara in front of her, and suddenly pursed her lips.
(Going out alone is scary, but going out with mom isn't scary at all… So, it's not that I've grown, but that I have someone I can rely on completely by my side, so even if I encounter all sorts of unexpected events during the journey, I won't be afraid at all…)
With the helmet on and the Honda Cub checked, Kitahara and Hitori officially began their motorcycle journey.
"Today's plan is to ride around the island along the coastal road. There's no specific destination; we can stop anytime we want… Let's go!"
Seeing Kitahara start to move, Hitori quickly distorted the Honda Cub's throttle and followed.
After the initial tension, Hitori quickly adapted to the rhythm of the ride, her attention subtly shifting to the surrounding environment, experiencing the joy of riding. When the Honda Cub rounded a rugged cliff, the sparkling, azure sea suddenly appeared before her eyes.
Kitahara stopped the Honda Cub by the roadside, took off his helmet, and turned to look at Hitori behind him, smiling gently:
"The scenery here is nice. Let's stop and enjoy the breeze."
"…"
Looking at Kitahara's hair blowing in the sea breeze, Hitori suddenly felt an indescribable flutter in her heart.
Summer, the sea, coconut trees, sea breeze, riding, cruising, and… and the boy she liked. Hitori suddenly felt happiness become tangible.
Human memory is like the sea; most memories will turn into insignificant sand under the erosion of time, but occasionally, some precious memories will turn into seashells, never to be forgotten.
At this moment, Hitori suddenly felt a subtle sensation in her heart. The sea before her and the young man in front of her would both become seashells on the beach of memory, forever shining brightly in her mind.
After resting by the sea for a while and taking a photo with Hitori, Kitahara was about to continue their ride when he suddenly felt his phone vibrate.
He took out his phone, and a message from Kita popped up on the screen.
"The wind and rain outside are so strong, Kitahara-kun didn't make the typhoon turn, so you lost. You have to admit defeat and obey me, okay?"
Kitahara: "Kita, recall carefully, what was the content of yesterday's bet?"
Kita: "Eh?"
Kitahara: "What I said at the time was, if I couldn't ride with Hitori under the sunlight, then I would lose."
Kita: "Even so, I still won the bet. It's impossible to go out riding in typhoon weather… Dream travel doesn't count!"
"Kita, you're celebrating too early."
Kitahara lightly clicked his tongue and decisively initiated a video call.
The video connected quickly.
A petite girl wearing bear pajamas, with red hair scattered over her shoulders, appeared on the screen. It was Kita, who seemed to have just woken up.
"Why did you suddenly video call… Eh, eh, eh?!"
Looking at the blue sky and sea behind Kitahara, Kita's eyes widened in disbelief.
"F-Fake, right?"
"It's clearly a typhoon raging outside, how can it be sunny?!"
"Because Hitori and I are not in Tokyo."
Kitahara spoke while rotating his phone, pointing the camera at Hitori next to him.
Looking at Hitori sitting on the Honda Cub, wearing a helmet, Kita no longer had any doubts, her eyes sparkling as she said:
"Ah, ah, ah, the scenery there is so beautiful, Hitori, where are you and Kitahara-kun?"
"Kita, good morning… "
Hitori clumsily took the phone and then chatted with Kita.
"Um… this is Kagoshima, it's not in the typhoon's path, so we can ride…"
"Eh, eh, eh, you're actually in Kagoshima? Did you take a plane overnight?!"
Before Hitori could answer, Kita quickly reacted:
"No, no, everyone was still soaking in the onsen last night, how did you get to such a far place?"
"Um…"
Hitori tilted her small face up, casting an inquiring look at Kitahara.
Kitahara said softly:
"Hitori, just say it."
Since the harem had already been established, there was no need to fear the secret of coming to Kagoshima secretly with Sakiko being exposed.
"So it was fast travel…"
After listening to Hitori's quiet explanation, Kita's face was full of genuine envy:
"I haven't been to Kagoshima yet. I heard the scenery is super beautiful, much prettier than Tokyo."
Hitori said softly:
"Kita, do you want to come and play with us?"
"Eh?" Kita paused, then quickly shook her head, "No, no, today is Hitori and Kitahara-kun's date time, I won't go."
"It's okay…" Hitori raised her hand to cover her mouth, blushing as she whispered, "Traveling with Kitahara-kun is fun, but if Kita were here too, it would be even more fun…"
From elementary school to high school, Kita was the first friend Hitori ever made, and she cherished her immensely.
Kita couldn't help but be tempted upon hearing this:
"…Then I'm really coming to play?"